Goals: - Train participants for independent communication and encourage participants to independently explore the language environment - Make participants aware of participation in democratic life, including respect for human dignity, unity, diversity, intercultural dialogue, as well as European social and cultural heritage Initially, online education in Italian was conducted where participants reached the A1 level according to the CEF criteria. After the education was completed, group mobility was started, where the participants were in contact with the Italian language through organized activities, as well as during their free time. The activities during the mobility were designed in a way to encourage participation in democratic life through volunteer activities and workshops. With the workshops, we wanted to make the participants aware that individuals often understand other cultures through the framework of their own culture and why it is important to approach other cultures without ethnocentrism. After the workshop, the project participants took part in volunteer activities with migrants and volunteers from numerous European countries.
Tourism is extremely important in the Republic of Croatia, and the labor market, especially in the summer, needs workers who know the basics of several foreign languages. The VolIta project is focused on people who are long-term unemployed - with the help of Italian language education, the long-term unemployed become more competitive on the labor market. This project not only gave the participants the opportunity to learn a new language, but also motivated them to become active citizens through activities during group mobility. By strengthening language competences and encouraging active citizenship, the aim is to motivate participants to become responsible and active members of society. The core activities of the Center for Lifelong Learning and Culture Bjelovar, i.e. the former People's Open University Bjelovar, are education, culture and information. The programs offered at the university follow technological and social changes with the aim of meeting the needs of citizens of all age groups. In the time of facing new opportunities and challenges based on market orientation, CUK's business is focused on creative, intensive and continuous work and adaptation to social and economic changes.